This invention relates to an axle suspension system for use with an automotive vehicle.
For example, Japanese Patent Kokai No. 59-14511 discloses a vehicle axle suspension arranged to produce compliance toe angle changes in response to external forces exerted on the vehicle road wheels so as to improve the vehicle steering characteristic. With such a conventional vehicle axle suspension, however, the vehicle control stability cannot be improved to a satisfactory extent during a vehicle cornering operation. This stems mainly from the fact that the conventional vehicle steering characteristic control is made without regard to the moment produced on the suspension member around its virtual roll axis. This moment tends to provide an oversteer characteristic and also to change the camber angle of the offside road wheel in a positive direction to decrease the equivalent road wheel camber rigidity. As a result, the vehicle control stability is degraded during the vehicle cornering operation.